Field
The present patent application relates to a support system for use with a portable electronic device including supplemental accessories for use with the portable electronic device, more specifically, the present patent disclosure relates to a grip and positioning aid for mobile electronic devices.
Description of Related Art
As mobile communication and computing electronic devices/products get more popular and powerful, they are becoming the primary device of choice. These types of mobile devices/products are also getting larger due to them becoming more of a primary “go to” “all in one” device. Everyday use including the consumption of media has risen consistently and the demand for larger screens has increased the average size of these types of products, thus making them more difficult to hold and operate with one hand. This has led to the popularity of supplemental gripping and holding accessories for these devices/products. Typically, the encasement accessory companies have used additional gripping material to help handle these larger mobile devices, while others have added strapping features that adjust with hook and loop fasteners or utilize elastomeric properties of the material to secure the mobile electronic device to one's hand or to provide a finger grip.
For example, there are many encasements or mobile device protectors that incorporate a strap-like grip aid. The strap-like grip aid is sometimes elastomeric, or hook and loop in nature. It can deform to create a loop like shape around one's hand, fingers or finger so as to secure the mobile device to one's hand. Some examples of these types of strap-based holding devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,746,448 and 8,950,638; and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0267748.
Other encasement devices may form a “T” shape configuration moving from a flat position to a secondary protruding position in which the secondary position allows one's fingers to slip under and around both sides the top portion of the “T” shape. The transformation from the flat position to the secondary protruding position is facilitated by a dual hinge assembly or a fabric living hinge assembly. Some examples of these types of transforming protruding devices are U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,844,098 and 9,300,346.
Yet another encasement device incorporates a flexible body portion that can be movable from a flat position to a secondary protruding position as a stand for ease of viewing. Additionally, the protrusion of the encasement device can be used as a handle to grip the mobile device more securely. The element that changes from the first position to the secondary protruding position is a strap like device that is guided by a track to move along a longitudinal or lateral direction allowing the strap like mechanism to lay flat in one position and linearly slide as to “buckle” or protrude in the secondary position. This type of device is the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 8,297,440.
These accessories typically are harder to use since they help to secure the mobile electronic device when in use, but tend to protrude or do not “retract” significantly enough as to create an impediment to the storing and carrying of the mobile electronic device. This impediment is a functional hindrance that is often not overcome by the benefit of the supplemental gripping feature.
There are supplemental gripping and positioning aids that endeavor to solve the functional encumbrance of protruding outwards when the mobile device is not activated or in use.
An accessory that is not just an encasement, but is also configured to be directly applied to a portable media player device so as to form a grip aid, utilizes an accordion type contracting and expanding mechanism to facilitate its configurability. This mechanism allows the device to lay relatively flat and can be expanded to create a protrusion that aids in one handed grip of the portable media player to which it is attached to. The accordion device, when expanded, functions as a cord wrap and a kickstand as well. This type of device is the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 8,560,031 and is known in the market as the trademarked PopSocket. For example, see www.popsockets.com.
The product that uses an accordion-like feature ensures the product's grip aid feature protrudes enough to function as a grip aid and kickstand yet retracts significantly enough as to not create a major encumbrance when not in use. The intent of the accordion-like feature is to aid single-handed use of the mobile electronic device on which it has been mounted to. Yet, despite of this intent, the accordion-like feature itself needs both hands to activate. One hand holds the mobile electronic device and the other hand pulls out the accordion-like feature to a protruding position. After the two-handed operation of the accordion-like feature, then one can position their fingers around the protrusion as to operate the mobile device with a single hand.
Another encumbrance created by the accordion-like feature's ability to retract and protrude successfully is the alternating hard and soft ring structure. This alternating structure allows the accordion-like feature to be manipulated and is stiff or structural enough to act as a kickstand supporting the mobile electronic device at an angle when on a relatively flat surface, yet still retract and stay in the retracted position due to these alternating structural rings. This type of solution enhances the functionality of the accessories ability to extend and retract, but creates a protruding architecture that is uncomfortable to grip between one's fingers due to the unyielding nature of the stiff structural rings forcing the fingers to be spread widely apart while abrasively resting on the unyielding stiff structural rings. The protruding and retracting accordion based grip aid product has had more success in the market than the other prior art products previously described, but still has the significant hindrances.
The present patent application endeavors to provide various improvements over prior mentioned examples along with any similar examples that may not have been mentioned or included. The present patent application discloses a system/a device that takes into consideration these important observations noted above and solves them in a manner to be unique and beneficial to those seeking these types of systems/devices in the market.